Soccer is the retirement plan for UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo would like to exchange his four-ounce gloves for a soccer ball when he hangs it up at 35.

The 26-year-old UFC featherweight champ today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that his retirement could give way to a return to his former sport.

“I like soccer a lot, so if I can do something related to soccer, that would be great,” Aldo said through a translator.

Aldo’s history with the sport stretches back to his days as a teenager. He played with a soccer club in his hometown of Manaus, Brazil, and said he was good enough to make a run as a professional.

“I did have a good future in the first division,” said Aldo, referring to an upper tier of regional soccer clubs in his home country. “However, fate led me to fighting.”

A highly physical and aggressive player, Aldo was once told by a soccer coach that he was better suited to the dojo than the field.

As it turned out, he was. Under the tutelage of coach Andre Pederneiras, who now manages him, he has decimated opponents in the now-defunct WEC and UFC, where he’s now defended his featherweight title three times.

A fourth title defense is around the corner, as Aldo meets ex-lightweight champ Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 on Feb. 2 in Las Vegas.

Aldo (21-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) said he’d like to set the record for most title defenses as a UFC champion. But he still gets as passionate as ever about his favorite soccer team, Flamengo, which is based out of his adopted hometown in Rio de Janeiro.

A chance to fight at the 80,000-seat Estádio do Maracanã in Rio is a long held dream of “Junior.”

“It would be super special to be playing in a big venue in Brazil since all the fans would be fighting with us,” Aldo said.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.